about pram

History
The Program "Ramón Arregui Monreal" de Capacitación a Jóvenes con Discapacidad Intelectual "PRAM" started in 1985 and the offices are in the Training Centre in Los Chillos Valley. It is a pilot demonstration project recognized by the Ministry of Education and Culture. It deals generally with labour training.

Objective
Its main objective is the professional rehabilitation for youth with intellectual disabilities.

By giving them support in the following areas : medical work, social work, psychology, physical therapy, labour placement and educational reinforcements, as well, we support free time and physical education. Primarily, we want an ephasis on their independence .

Results
Up to the present, 379 youngsters have been graduated. From this total, 52.6% has been placed in private companies, whereas the additional 35.2% work at home and 12.2% could not be placed in any company because of the level of disability.

Working with Families
In this program, there is the subprogram "Working with families". Its purpose is "Empower the capability and responsibility of parents and representants of the youngsters with intellectual disability, in order to develop their skills that allow them to orientate with clarity and love the formation and accompaniment to their children in all the stages their life ".

Economic Support
The implementation and maintenance of the PRAM has been possible thanks to the support of the managerial sector, National Government and donations of organizations and international institutions. The economic contribution that the families give is symbolic, since it represents 8,8 % of the costs of the program.

Employment Centre
As a response to the labour demand, for whom they could not have included on the common market, the Employment Centre was created in January, 2001, across which it puts at the disposal of companies, qualified services in: assembly, labelled, packing and other related tasks done by youngsters with intellectual disability; giving the opportunity to this social sector to be useful and to contribute to the development of the country, by means of a remunerated work.

The support in the laboural integration has as a purpose: finding a stable work in companies and microcompanies for the youngsters who graduate of the Center of Training; this activity complements itself with periodic follow-ups to achieve a better integration in their place of work.

The labor of several years of the Foundation and the private companies has allowed to gather positive experiences, demonstrating to the society that these youngsters are excellent hard-workers.

The Program has become an important site where Ecuadorian professionals and volunteers from all over the country go to learn the procedures developed at the Centre. The Center staff provide advice to other professionals from other parts of Ecuador about rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.